Every Night
by Lara1221
Summary: Neville saw his parents over holiday, and he just can't sleep. Neither can Luna.


**Disclaimer:** Literally nothing in this story, cover included, belongs to me.

 **For Rae** (KeepsAwayTheNargles) for GGE2015. I hope you love it! I had a great time writing it :)

 **A/N:** So I tried really hard to come up with a Draco/Luna plotbunny for Rae but it just wouldn't click. For this round of QL I could write literally anything, so I went with the Ultimate Battle comp prompt, and got to analyze Sam Smith's lyrics to mean a special kind of platonic love. I hope you enjoy it :) **Written for: (skip)**

 **QL rnd 13: wasps' beater 2:** write anything, prompts - 1. no spell can be cast or mentioned, 3. launch, 4. repeat **; ultimate battle comp: rnd 2:** 'Stay With Me' by Sam Smith (specifically the two lines quoted) **; acrostics comp: e:** prompt - empty room **;** **occasion a day challenge: sep. 14 hoagie day:** over 700 words **; open cat 4:** friendship **; potions class comp: murtlap essence:** comforting someone **; hogwarts comp yr 7:** DADA (Neville has an OWL in this class), diviniation (a wish that can't come true), study of ancient runes (a partnership); prompts - character: Trevor / words: hold, just, might / mood: open, angry / emotion: empathy, stillness / dotw: sunday / adjective: obedient / song: shut up train, little big town (he can't sleep because he keeps thinking about his parents and his dreams: the train in the song) / dialogue: I can't do this anymore / uwl: 2492 / lwl: 363 / genre: drama **;**

* * *

 _These nights never seem to go to plan_  
 _I don't want you to leave, will you hold my hand?_

 _Oh, won't you stay with me?_

Sam Smith

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Every Night

Everyone in Hogwarts should be asleep at this time of night, so Neville Longbottom was surprised when his silence was disturbed by a figure floating in the doorway.

"Neville?" the shadow in the torchlight asked, and he recognized the voice of Luna Lovegood. She was an…interesting friend of Ginny's, and he guessed he could say a friend of his as well, now that they were practically partners in the D.A. She was very kind, but Neville had trouble understanding where she was coming from sometimes. She had an incredible imagination, and sometimes Neville just didn't know what to say.

From his palm, Trevor croaked, and it launched him back to reality. "Hi, Luna." He attempted a smile, and she looked inquisitive. Neville prayed she would keep her curiosity at bay, if only for tonight.

She moved forward into the classroom he had taken recluse in, sitting on the window ledge beside him. Neville stared off into the stillness of the night under the full moon, not paying her much attention. Subconsciously, he stroked his toad's bumpy skin. Trevor was repeating a quiet croaking sound, and the noise was comforting in the quiet, despite the fact that quiet was what he had sought. Neville didn't think about it a lot, but he knew he loved his pet very much, because he was grateful for all the comfort the obedient toad brought. He wasn't a friend, but he was home.

"It's such a wonderful night. The moon frogs must be having a brilliant time."

"I'm sure," Neville's voice was still quiet, and that was saying something compared to Luna's ever-airy tone. He tried not to think about the tears that still laid in the corners of his eyes, or the gum wrapper in his pocket, or anything that could possibly have to do with St. Mungo's, because he had spent too much time crying tonight, too much time being upset and emotional, so much time loving parents who could never love him back, especially when there was _nothing he could do about it_.

"Are you all right, Neville?"

He wanted to lie. He wanted to tell her everything was okay. He did it every day, after all. Not completely, because his parents weren't _always_ on his mind. But the fact of the matter was in all the moments Neville had ever been unhappy, it has _always_ been because of his parents, and those times had _never_ been okay. Neville swallowed.

"I suppose."

He could feel her eyes on him.

"You don't seem all right. I don't mean to assume. People don't usually wander in the middle of the night if they're not upset. I'm not all right, and it's going to be okay."

This got his attention, momentarily. He turned to look at her, a bit of concern coming into his mind and voice. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine tomorrow, I think."

Neville gulped, wondering if he should press. "Luna…do you…do you want to talk about it? Whatever's bothering you, I'll listen, I promise." He was surprised by how much he meant it. "We're partners, after all. Friends, even."

Her mouth fell open ever so slightly, and Neville turned slightly pink under her shocked gaze. Had he said something wrong?

"You think of me as your friend?"

He gave her a genuine smile, one that didn't require an attempt. "Don't you think of me as your friend?"

"Well…" she looked down and away. "A friend is a hard thing to come by. I'm glad…I'm glad you think of me as someone who believes in you. Because I do, very much."

Neville felt his throat go slightly dry. "Thank you."

Luna looked out the window and searched the sky for the moon. Her grey eyes reflected the light that it projected, and he got the feeling that she was a thousand miles away. "It's my Mum. I lost her when I was young, and I think about her often. Today was quite difficult. After the holidays wrapped up, one of these Sundays in the New Year, we would pick a day and spend it just us. I always had a marvelous time. But it was so long ago. I have Daddy and I love him, and he should be enough."

"But it's not." The words were out before he could stop himself.

"No," she said, "not quite."

He looked at her. She was open, she was listening, and she was a brilliant friend. Neville took a deep breath, and he looked down at Trevor, not daring to look up. He knew tears were coming, but he tried to keep them at bay nevertheless. "I lost my parents, too. They haven't known me since I was a baby, and I can't remember anything about them. They were so strong, and wonderful, but all I get to hear are the _stories_. The Death Eaters, they … they tortured them until they barely had minds." He took a deep breath. "I see them every holiday, and it's such a relief to see they're alive, and it's so much _worse_ at the same time. They'll _never_ get to know me, and every, single, night, they're in my dreams. Dreams of what could happen if I had a Mum and Dad who were there every step. This Christmas, my Mum gave me a gum wrapper…and she'll never know how much she means to me." Neville didn't stop the tears as they flowed freely.

He felt himself unravel, felt open and free. "It makes me mad that I missed it all and happy that at least they're alive all at once, and sometimes I think that I just can't do it anymore. Go on without the people who mean the world to me." His voice was a whisper now. "I just…want them to love me. I wish they could be here, and hold me, and that I could know how much they care. I love them so much."

Neville let himself stare out the window, the view glossy through wet eyes. Luna reached over to hold his hand. Neville could feel how hard she was empathizing, and he clenched it back so tightly he thought it might hurt her, but she gripped him back.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Me too."

And then Luna leaned her head on his shoulder, and he let himself revel in her warmth and remember to think about his parents, with all the sadness and strength that comes with it. Neville knew he wasn't alone.


End file.
